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i^o 


GOVERNMENT  HOI  ISING  SCHEME  I 


WELL  HALL-f  ELTHAM  * TENTH 


WELL  HALL  is  only  one  of  the  British 
Government’s  housing  operations.  It  is 
situated  about  a mile  from  Woolwich  and 
is  a complete  new  development.  It  consists  en- 
tirely of  permanent  dwellings  for  workmen. 
There  are  four  types  of  houses  of  from  two  to 
four  rooms  with  bath,  the  rentals  ranging  from 
seven  shillings  to  fifteen  shillings  and  sixpence  a 
week.  There  have  been  built  some  sixteen  hun- 
dred houses,  all  of  the  best  materials  available, 
and  the  design  has  preserved  the  traditions  of 
English  rural  life.  Mr.  Ewart  G.  Culpin,  Secre- 
tary of  the  International  Garden  Cities  and 


Town  Planning  Association,  whose  article  in 
the  April  Journal  dealt  with  the  application 
of  town-planning  principles  to  the  new  housing 
developments  of  England,  writes  that  he 
believes  Well  Hall  to  be  “easily  the  first  thing 
in  cottage  plans  and  elevations  for  the  whole 
world.”  This  statement  is  perhaps  capable  of  a 
wrong  interpretation,  for  it  is  evident  that  the 
plans  would  not  suit  living  conditions  in  the 
United  States;  but,  from  the  point  of  view  of  a 
great  housing  undertaking  deliberately  under- 
taken by  a Government  and  guided  by  experts 
to  yield  the  maximum  advantages  consistent 


i 


THE  JOURNAL  OF  THE  AMERICAN  INSTITUTE  OF  ARCHITECTS 


GOVERNMENT  HOUSING 


with  a given  mode  of  life,  Well  Hall  is  un- 
doubtedly entitled  to  rank  where  Mr.  Culpin 
places  it. 

Of  primary  importance  in  the  consideration 
of  the  underlying  reasons  which  led  to  the  build- 
ing of  Well  Hall  is  the  fact  that  in  spite  of 
urgent  necessity  it  was  decided  to  make  it  a 
permanent  enterprise  rather  than  a merely 
temporary  one.  This  has  been  the  consistent 
policy  of  the  British  Government,  except  where 


urgence  made  it  impossible  to  wait  upon 
permanent  construction,  for  the  difference  in 
cost  between  permanent  and  temporary  work  is 
measured  by  a small  margin,  and  it  was  decided 
that  it  would  be  folly  to  throw  away  money 
upon  makeshift  expedients.  Possibly  this  decis- 
ion was  also  influenced  by  the  knowledge  that 
nothing  is  harder  to  be  rid  of  than  a temporary 
building.  We  believe  that  the  shacks  built  at 
the  time  of  the  flood  emergency  in  Galveston 


WELL  HALL 


H AVI  L K FNT^ 

li  Viv  1 r IN.  LI  N r WE 


m office 

of  WORKS 
WESTMINSTER 


are  still  doing  duty  as  slums,  and  such  is  the 
usual  experience  with  temporary  buildings.  In 
cases  where  the  British  Government  could  not 
spare  the  time  necessary  to  build  permanently, 
huts  of  a temporary  or  semi-temporary  charac- 
ter were  constructed,  either  of  concrete  slabs  or 
wooden  framing.  These  were  three  in  type  and, 
as  built  at  East  Riggs,  another  important  housing 
development,  will  be  illustrated  and  described 


in  the  October  Journal,  which  will  also  contain  a 
list  of  references  on  Industrial  Housing. 

In  addition  to  these  purely  housing  opera- 
tions, the  Government  has  erected  stores,  halls, 
and  other  public  buildings  necessary  for  a good- 
sized  town;  in  one  case  there  were  provided 
bakeries,  a central  kitchen,  laundry,  schools, 
churches,  and  all  the  usual  accessories  of  com- 
munity life. 


3 


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Government  Housing  Scheme, 

Well  Hall,  Woolwich.  1915. 

Group  facing  WELL  HALL  and  CONGREVE  ROADS,  jst  and  2nd  Class. 


H.  M.  Office  of  Works , 
W cstminster, 

London,  S.  W. 


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Government  Housing  Scheme, 

VVeli.  Hall,  Woolwich.  1915. 

Entrance  Group  in  WELL  HALL  ROAD,  East  Side. 


H.  M.  Office  of  Works, 
Westminster , 

London,  S.  IE. 


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Government  Housing  Scheme, 

Well  Hall,  Woolwich.  1915. 

View  in  WELL  HALL  ROAD  Looking  South. 


If.  M.  Office  oj  Works , 
W estminster, 

London , S.  W. 


6 


Government  Housing  Scheme, 

Well  Hall,  Woolwich.  1915. 

A Group  in  WELL  HALL  ROAD  Looking  South. 


H.  M.  Office  of  Works, 
Westminster, 

London,  S.  H' . 


7 


Government  Housing  Scheme, 

Well  Hall,  Woolwich.  1915. 

View  in  WELL  HALL  HOAD  Looking  North. 


II.  M.  Office  of  Works, 
Westminster, 

London , S.  IF. 


8 


Government  Housing  Scheme, 

Well  Hall,  Woolwich.  1915. 

Crescent  near  Station  in  WELL  HALL  ROAD. 


H.  M.  Office  of  IV orks. 
JV estminster, 

London,  S.  IV. 


9 


Government  Housing  Scheme, 
Well  Hall,  Woolwich.  1915. 
View  in  ROSS  WAY  Looking  East. 


H.  M.  Office  of  fV orks 
IV estminster, 

London , S.  JV. 


IO 


Government  Housing  Scheme, 
Well  Hall,  Woolwich.  1915. 
View  in  ROSS  WAY  Looking  West. 


H.  M.  Office  oj  Works, 
Westminster, 

London,  S.  W. 


I I 


Government  Housing  Scheme, 

Weli.  Hall,  Woolwich.  1915. 

WHINYATES  ROAD  from  ROSS  WAY  Looking  South. 


//.  M.  Office  of  Works , 
IV estminster , 

London,  S.  W. 


12 


Government  Housing  Scheme, 

Well  Hall,  Woolwich.  1915. 

A Group  in  WHINYATES  ROAD  Looking  North, 


//.  M.  Office  oj  IV orks, 
IV t estminster, 

London , S.  JV. 


1 3 


Government  Housing  Scheme, 

Well  Hall,  Woolwich.  1915. 

Block  0/  Houses  in  PHINEAS  PETT  ROAD. 


H.  M Office  of  Works, 
IV estminster, 

London , S.  IV. 


•4 


Government  Housing  Scheme, 
Wei.i.  Hall,  Woolwich.  1915. 
SANDBY  GREEN  Looking  North. 


H.  M.  Office  0/  Works , 
W estminster, 

London,  S.  W. 


1 5 


Government  Housing  Scheme, 
Well  Hall,  Woolwich.  1915. 
LOVELACE  GREEN  Looking  North. 


II.  M.  Office  of  Works , 
Westminster , 

London , S.  W. 


l6 


Government  Housing  Scheme, 

Well  Hall,  Woolwich.  1915. 

Pair  of  Cottages  in  LOVELACE  GREEN. 


//.  M.  Office  of  Works , 
W estminster , 

London,  S.  W. 


17 


Government  Housing  Scheme, 

YVei.l  Hale,  Woolwich.  1915. 

View  in  ARSENAL  ROAD  Looking  South. 


H.  M.  Office  of  JVorks, 
IV estminster, 

London , S.  IV. 


18 


Government 
Well  Hall, 
CONGREVK 


Housing  Scheme, 

Woolwich.  1915. 

ROAD  ( Roughton  Road  Crossing)  Looking  South. 


H.  M.  Office  of  Works, 
W 1 estminster, 

London , S.  IV. 


19 


Government  Housing  Scheme, 

Well  Hall,  Woolwich.  1915. 

Junction  oj  CONGRF.VF,  ROAD  and  MAUDSLAY  ROAD  I.ooking  North. 


H.  M.  Office  of  Works , 
Westminster , 

London , S.  U'. 


20 


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Government  Housing  Scheme, 

Well  Hall,  Woolwich.  1915. 

View  in  CONGREVE  ROAD  Looking  North. 


H.  M.  Office  of  Works , 
Westminster , 

London,  S.  W. 


1 


21 


Government  Housing  Scheme, 

Well  Hall,  Woolwich.  1915. 

Group  0}  Houses  in  DOWNMAN  ROAD. 


//.  M.  Office  of  Works , 
Westminster, 

London,  S.  W. 


22 


Government  Housing  Scheme, 

Well  Hall,  Woolwich.  1915. 

View  of  GILBORNE  WAY  Looking  West. 


H.  M.  Office  of  Works , 
W estminster, 

London , S.  W. 


23 


Government  Housing  Scheme, 

Well  Hall,  Woolwich.  1915. 

View  in  DICKSON  ROAD  Looking  East. 


//.  M.  Office  of  JVorks , 
IV estminster, 

London,  S.  IV. 


■4 


Arv</t  L /(  / tt  /V*w  /. 


GoV ERNMENT  HOUSING  SCHEME, 

Well  Hall,  Woolwich  1915. 

Block  of  Flats,  GRANBY  ROAD,  Class  IV. 


u* 


11 . M.  Office  of  IVorks, 
IVestminster, 

London,  S.  IV. 


25 


Multi-Family  versus  Individual  Houses 

By  HENRY  ATTERBURY  SMITH 


NEARLY  all  our  cities  are  built  upon  un- 
scientific exploiting  systems,  a good  deal 
as  we  encourage  the  sale  of  liquor  to 
gather  a tax,  and  then  have  all  sorts  of  reforma- 
tories and  asylums  to  care  for  the  victims. 

Most  buildings  that  house  the  masses  are 
built  to  sell,  and  so  they  are  built  shoddily  and 
only  as  good  as  they  must  be  in  direct  propor- 
tion to  the  building  laws  and  municipal  super- 
vision. The  idea  of  building  real  well  never 
enters  the  head  of  the  building  promoter,  who 
may  not  be  a builder  at  all.  In  fact,  usually 
he  is  a storekeeper  or  trader  who  sees  far  more 
profit  in  selling  a building  than  he  does  in  selling 
clothes  or  suspenders,  because  the  amount 
involved  is  larger  and  the  purchaser  is  more 
ignorant.  He  is  usually  in  league  with  a loan 
man  or  institution,  which  latter,  I am  sorry  to 
say,  is  frequently  a savings  bank.  But  usually 
the  loan  is  sold  as  soon  as  the  building,  and 
so  the  two  original  partners  step  out  immedi- 
ately and  turn  the  project  over  to  two  other 
innocent  people,  who  try  from  then  on  to  squeeze 
an  income  out  of  a rotten  machine  which  gets 
worse  and  worse  rapidly  until  a few  years  after, 
health  boards  orcier  the  premises  vacated. 

New  York,  proud  New  York,  the  self- 
appointed  example  to  the  rest  of  the  states,  not 
only  allows  but  recommends  this  miserable  type 
illustrated  below. 

What  are  we  architects  to  say  about  such 
a thing;  calmly  let  it  pass,  or  protest?  If  we 
cannot  suggest  something  better,  we  are  grossly 
incompetent  or  indifferent. 

Now,  again,  how  about  all  this  stuff  about  the 
individual  house  for  the  employee  in  the  indus- 
trial town?  Have  you  ever  seen  the  result, 
reader;  have  you  ever  pushed  down  to  the  funda- 
mentals of  this  talk;  have  you  ever  studied  the 
balance-sheet  to  see  if  the  truth  is  being  stated? 
Are  you  sure  the  lowest  paid  in  the  factory  are 
being  housed  at  all  or  are  they  boarding,  room- 
ing, or  crowding?  If  not,  they  soon  will  be. 
How  can  the  lowest  incomes  afford  to  sustain 
those  individual  public  utilities  which  our  knowl- 
edge of  health  demands?  In  cold  climates  how 
can  each  family  shovel  coal,  or  in  warm,  have 


enough  energy  left  after  a day’s  work  to  look 
after  plumbing,  shutters,  gutters,  and  leaders? 
Why  should  we  foist  all  this  work  and  repairs 
upon  the  individual  occupant — the  stitch  in 
time  to  save  nine — when  he  or  she  or  both  have 
had  a hard  day’s  work  in  the  mill  or  factory  or 
mine,  and  who  are  supposed  to  have  a family 
of  children  besides?.  The  answer  is  to  be  found 
in  the  word  exploitation  at  times,  for  it  has  been 
soberly  brought  to  the  writer’s  attention  that  a 
long-time  obligation,  like  a fifteen-year  mort- 
gage upon  the  workman’s  cottage,  has  a ten- 
dency to  keep  the  operative  in  the  factory  organi- 
zation. He  is  less  likely  to  strike  or  leave  if  he 
has  paid  something  on  his  house.  When  it  is  not 
wilful  exploiting  then  it  is  gross  ignorance  and 
lack  of  imagination  or  sympathy,  for  how  can  the 
general  run  of  house  occupants  know  how  to  take 
care  of  their  real  estate  in  such  a manner  as  will 
cause  it  to  last  and  not  become  a source  of  ex- 
pense? Even  the  most  intelligent  of  us  seem  not 
to  understand  how  to  make  a house  hold  out 
year  after  year.  No,  the  answer  is  a multi- 
family house,  with  expert  repair  men  constantly 
on  the  job,  men  who  like  such  work,  just  as 


A Bad  Type  That  Gives  a Bad  Name  to  the  Multi-Family 
House,  Built  by  the  Mile  This  Year  in  Greater  New  York 


MULTI-FAMILY  VERSUS  INDIVIDUAL  HOUSES 


* 


* 


Sawtooth  Economic  Open  Stair  Type,  Three  Families  to  a 
Floor,  Three  Stories  High,  Nine  Families  to  a House  or  Stair- 
case. 252  Families  in  All,  in  50  Acres 


Linear  Streetless  Type,  Exact  Duplicate  of  Philadelphia  Terrace, 
4 Rooms  and  Bath,  House  27 ' by  15'  Broad.  252  Families  in 
All,  in  50  Acres 


Each  of  These  Houses  Has  the  Same  Number  of  Families,  Each  Family  Having  Four  Rooms  and  a Bath;  Conducive 
to  Economical  Steam  Heating  and  Application  of  Other  Public  Utilities 


other  men,  like  myself,  hate  it — one  man  a 
tinsmith  and  plumber,  another  a painter,  another 
man  to  take  away  the  garbage,  say  twice 
a day,  and  burn  it  in  an  incinerator  to  produce 
hot  water.  We  shall  also  want  women  to  collect 
the  rent  and  cooperate  with  the  families  in 
regard  to  their  varying  necessities. 

Then  we  get  as  true  efficiency  in  the  life  of 
the  factory  families  outside  the  factory  as  we 
do  inside,  and  the  occupants  can  buy  the  stock 
of  the  housing  company  and  be  represented 
upon  the  board  of  directors  or  they  can  in  time 
be  the  sole  managers. 


The  multi-family  house  is  thought  to  bring 
about  congestion,  but  it  is  a very  idle,  immature 
thought  that  jumps  to  such  a conclusion. 
Property  restrictions  are  usually  in  vogue  in 
some  form  or  other,  even  with  an  individual 
house  scheme.  It  is  quite  feasible,  without  a 
strain  on  one’s  mentality,  to  imagine  that  a 
similar  restriction  could  be  made  regarding  a 
multi-family  house  scheme. 

Let  us  limit  the  number  of  families  per  acre, 
and  let  us  induce  some  kinds  of  families  on  some 
acres  and  other  kinds  on  others,  according  to 
the  type  and  finish  of  the  buildings,  or  the 


£ 


Perspective  and  Details  of  Sawtooth  Economic  Open  Stair  T ype 

27 


Non-Communicating  Economic  Open  Stairs,  Weather  Pro-  Detaii.  Plans  and  Section  Linear 

tected.  Intercommunication,  Infection  and  Contagion  Streetless  Type 

Reduced  to  a Minimum 


character  of  the  probable  occupant.  What  shall 
that  limit  be?  It  will  vary,  no  doubt,  according 
to  conditions,  but  let  us  assume  that  it  is  to  be 
five  families  to  the  acre,  a very  roomy  layout 
(8,712  square  feet  to  a family,  ioo  x 87),  pro- 
vided we  don’t  waste  a lot  of  the  ground  in 
streets  and  pavements  (for  the  convenience 
of  the  tradesman),  the  maintenance  of  which 
becomes  a heavy  tax  upon  our  resources,  and 
the  danger  of  which  to  our  children  is  prover- 
bial. Let’s  away  with  the  street  entirely;  it  may 
be  of  great  interest  to  the  engineer — curbs, 
sidewalks,  grades,  fills  and  cuts,  sewer  and 
water  out  under  the  roadway  in  an  inconve- 
nient place  to  connect  and  repair — but  to  an 
architect  the  roadway  is  a means  to  an  end,  and 
one  of  very  doubtful  value. 

Let  us  study  a layout  of  a square  plot  of,  say 
50  acres,  and  I will  leave  the  solution  of  that 
plot  to  anybody  else  who  wants  to  submit  in  a 
following  article  how  he  would  improve  matters 
by  covering  the  property  with  an  identical 
number  of  individual  homes,  or  semi-detached, 
or  triple  or  quadruple,  or  any  other  kind  of  a 
make-shift,  including  the  world-renowned  terrace 


type  that  makes  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore 
famous.  I submit  two  types:  both  multi-family, 
cooperative  types;  both  having  their  heating, 
sewage,  domestic  hot  water,  lighting,  power 
(for  sewing  and  other  light  machines)  provided 
from  central  plants;  both  having  repairs  done 
by  experts  who  do  nothing  else;  both  assuring 
rent  is  paid  just  as  taxes;  and  both  giving  the 
occupant  every  opportunity  to  become  an 
owner  of  the  stock  with  a voice  in  the  manage- 
ment. 

The  two  types  I suggest  are  the  “sawtooth 
economic  open  stair”  type  and  the  linear  type 
suggested  by  Mr.  Stephen  Lengyel  and  Mr. 
Edgar  Chambless,  respectively.  In  certain 
cases,  one  type  will  be  preferable  to  the  other, 
depending  on  the  contour  and  shape  of  the 
property  and  other  conditions  such  as  proximity 
to  the  central  plant.  In  the  sawtooth  type  the 
heating  plants  can  economically  be  distributed, 
one  to  each  75,  100,  or  125  families,  and  can  be 
contained  right  in  the  basement.  In  the  linear 
type  the  heating  plant  and  sewage  system  are  a 
little  more  difficult,  but  other  considerations 
keep  the  comparison  very  close. 


28 


